Things About Blogging That Non-Bloggers Have No Idea Are Things

They’re weird. They obsess over odd things. They take their excitement for the internet just a bit too far sometimes.

Wait. They? HA. WE.

I’m right there with ‘em. I care about some really odd (and in the scheme of life, unimportant) stuff. I cause my sister’s eyes to glaze over with boredom when I attempt to talk blogging shop with her regularly. I get oddly excited about tweets from other bloggers. I write full blog posts in my head while showering, exercising and driving.

It’s a sickness. But definitely not one I’m trying to cure anytime soon.

Truth is, there are things about blogging that just aren’t things to non-blogging folk.

I’m here today to bring you non-bloggers into the fold. To give you a glimpse into the minds of those who blog their little hearts out regularly. To shed light on the weird thoughts that occasionally endlessly roll through our brains.

One slight disclaimer: just because it lands on this list, does not mean it’s a BIG thing to every blogger (or even to me). We’re all unique flowers. We all have our own unique priorities. We’re all bringing our own unique flavors to the interwebs. I obviously cannot speak for everyone – wouldn’t that be lame if we were all the same?!

Ha. Rhyme.

Okay. Onward. Don’t take any of this too seriously.

Things About Blogging That Non-Bloggers Have No Idea Are Things

Blogging About Blogging – Let’s get this out of the way first, since I’m obviously partaking. Anyone ever notice how posts about blogging get WAY more comments and shares? Yeah, bloggers love talking shop – and why shouldn’t they?! It’s the common thread that is guaranteed to unite a blogger with their fellow blogger. I have a category for Blogging About Blogging and often wonder, “how many times can I write about blogging without totally boring the snot out of my non-blogger readers?”

The pain that is writing “About” pages – Seriously, does anyone enjoy this? We can easily write 500-1000 words about a casserole, but summing up our self, our blogging mission and our lives on a page and still coming across as interesting, engaging or likable? Crippling. So stinkin’ difficult. I like to forget this page exists, if possible.

Sponsoring and being sponsored - Sponsoring is advertising, but like, feel-good, let’s-be-friends-style advertising. An “I’ll promote your blog if you fund mine” type of thing. I have read that it can get very stressful for big-time bloggers because well, everyone wants to sponsor them and expects it to be magical. I haven’t experienced this because honestly, I’d really just like to make back the $7 I spend on hosting each month by taking on a few sponsors and in the process, make a few new email buddies. So I’m really no expert at this topic. Though I am trying. Holla at my lovely sponsors – you guys are the bomb.com.

Deciding between WordPress and Blogger – There have been many a debate and many a post about the pros and cons of each. I personally had no idea Blogger existed when I started blogging on WordPress.com and then on self-hosted WordPress so I clearly missed the boat on this, but apparently navigating the switch is absolutely a thing. A stressful thing.

Advertising & Ad Networks – Like, how much is too much? And uh… getting to that $100 threshold for an Adsense payout for the first time took like 5 months. Now I wonder if there are too many ads around these parts, but also, I like to fund my coffee habit with my blogging habit, so shoot me.

Working with brands – This doesn’t happen often around All Things E, but when brands (ok, book publishers, mostly) contact me, I’m usually thinking something along the lines of “Is this shit legit?!? Like, is this company fo real? Or is this spam? This might be spam. OK it’s gotta be spam. I’m just going to ignore this.” But for some bloggers, this is a big thing. There is lots o’ money to be made by brands that get on the good side of bloggers, that’s for sure.

SEO Pitches from Spammers – Bro, you have a gmail address and clearly mail-merged my blog’s name into this ridiculous template email. SO. No. Just no. And stop. You’re making real-life SEO’s look bad. Flagging you as spam and trying to figure out why Askimet didn’t catch you first.

Link-ups – Link-ups work like this: A bunch of bloggers write about similar stuff, then they all put their link on one (usually pretty popular) blogger’s post. Then they “hop around” and read everyone else’s posts. The idea is that it gets new people to your blog, so those “linking up with so-and-so” disclaimers on the bottom of my posts sometimes? Yeah, follow them to read more posts just like mine, if you want.

Blogger Cliques – There are definitely bloggers on the web that stick together. Whether they write about the same things, use similar language or have attended a conference together and become real-life friends, bloggers form cliques. And like any high school, sometimes people feel left out. Sometimes drama happens. Sometimes, it’s kind of entertaining. Especially when it plays out over Twitter. I personally tend to be either socially awkward in Blogland and/or try to be as friendly as possible to everyone so I’m not sure if I actually belong to a clique. I haven’t experienced the drama at all personally, but it happens. #youcantsitwithus

Freebies and Courtesy of Clothing – Oh, fashion bloggers. Your lives are so glamorous. For many of my blog-lurking months prior to starting my blog I would often wonder, “How do these people afford new clothes all the damn time and what the heck does c/o mean?” c/o means “courtesy of” and that is precisely how fashion bloggers “afford” their new clothes. Sweet gig for them. Too bad I can barely match my clothes.

The Stress of Guest Posting – I LOVE the idea of guest posting but promptly get anxiety over the worthiness of every guest post I have ever written. What if it sucks and the host blogger hates it? I’m working on this. But it’s a real thing.

The Mystery of Google Analytics – In the comments section of every post I read by a blogger about GA there are at least a handful of other bloggers saying something along the lines of “man, I really need to figure this stuff out.” Understanding Analytics is most definitely a thing. I spend 80% of my workday knee-deep in my client’s Analytics it so my blog Analytics don’t do a whole lot for me, but I understand the frustration. My thoughts on numbers can be found here.

Pinterest – Got a post about food? What about clothes? Make that photo vertical. Add some nice words and hope to hell someone (or hundreds of someones) pin it. Bloggers, more than non-bloggers, know the value of this social network. And it is BIG. Blogs have been built entirely on the black hole of endless DIYs, pretty pictures and life hacks that is Pinterest. Normal Pinterest users probably have no idea how much traffic (and actual revenue) it creates for bloggers.

Code Names for Significant Others - Hubs, hubby, the mister, Mr. _, a fake name. Significant others often star in posts so most bloggers just give them a fun code name to protect their privacy. It’s cute, though I have seen full-on rants against certain popular ones, which is always entertaining. I don’t have a code name… probably because I don’t have a significant other. #singlegirlproblems

DOGS – Bloggers love dogs. Some have whole categories of their blog dedicated to them. If Molly were actually my pet, she would star on All Things E with alarming regularity. Having a dog is most definitely a thing for many bloggers. Bloggers also occasionally have pet names for their pets as well (fur baby seems to be popular).

Learning HTML and CSS – Sitting in front of your computer wrestling with code so that you can change your hyperlinks from blue to green? Yep, been there. Some bloggers master this and manage to take care of it for everyone else, opening up design boutiques and Etsy shops (YOU GO entrepreneurial types!). The rest of us get to the point where we either decide to just let it be, or pay someone to change things up for us. Regardless, code is more of a thing for bloggers than most people think.

Blog Commenting – I read a stat somewhere the other day that said only 1% of blog readers leave comments. Bloggers constitute 92% or so of said comments. The other 8% is split evenly between blog moms, sweet extended family members, and nice IRL friends of bloggers (I completely made this stat up). I personally love when people comment, especially other bloggers – commenting allows you to make “blog friends” – people that consistently read your posts and that you start to really like because they make you feel like you’re not just talking to yourself all damn day. I <3 comments.

Meeting “Blog Friends” IRL – For you non-bloggers: IRL = in real life. As in, outside the comfort of the interwebs, bloggers are meeting with one another for perfectly Instagrammed lattes in chambray shirts (again, I fully support this behavior, even if it sounds like I’m poking fun at it). Some bloggers make it all cute and call real-life meetups “blates.” Adorbs.

Lists – Of goals, of cute things, of good links from the interwebs… of pretty much anything you can think of. This obsession extends beyond bloggers to all of the internet in general nowadays, but list posts are most certainly a thing. A thing I love with all my heart.

Spending Entire Friday Nights Blogging – Hence, precisely what is going on for me this very moment. Your real life friends might question your desire to do this, but sometimes a Friday night can yield your best blogging, so you pour a giant glass of wine, cozy up on the couch with your laptop, and make magic happen. Friday night blogging is most certainly a thing.

Non-bloggers: if you read this far, high-five! If you feel compelled to start a blog after reading that, double high-five! I tell everyone I know that blogging is an awesome hobby and am always one to encourage people to do it. Let me know if you have questions about how to start.

Bloggers: What did I miss? What else is a total thing for most bloggers? I’ll edit the post with my favorite comments as they come in.

Allie is on a mission to spread a little light, connect on a deeper level, and empower women to feel the way they want to feel, which is, damn good. She takes a heart-centered approach towards busting through fear + resistance and embracing all of who we are, not just the pretty parts. It’s honest + inspiring + actionable: words that speak straight to your soul.

Yes to all of these!!! I tend to try to be friendly to everyone, so I’m pretty sure I’m not in a blog clique. I feel awkward in most blogger to blogger interactions much like IRL. Hah!

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Hahah I do sometimes too!

Brad Cowan

Yes. Yes! All of these are so true. I would maybe add in design / content envy… you know, when you stumble across someone else’s blog and you just sit there staring because you want to absorb every flawlessly placed banner and font selection then you start reading and think “I should have written this” or “why didn’t I think of this” because it happens. For me, it just happened with this post.

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Hahah thanks Brad!

http://www.mylifeiguess.com/ Amanda

Hahaha, this is dead on!

I would add this: the awkwardness of what to call your blogging friends. Are they just “friends”? Or do you have to qualify that they are your “Twitter friend” or “blogging friend”. And do they consider you a friend back? How do they refer to you?

I remember the first time I was contacted to host a giveaway and they also gave me a prize too! I was soooo reluctant and cautious, making it absolutely clear that I wasn’t responsible if the company didn’t fulfill their end of the deal – and then I came home one day to find a brand new Tablet in my mail box

It’s cute how my fiance tries to suggest post ideas and whatnot for me from time to time – sometimes they work out, other times it’s clear he’s a non-blogger.

(And also, congrats on making $100 with AdSense! In the year since I started using them I’ve only made $8. Hahah.)

Reading this has made my morning! I obsess over ALL of this and it’s true – no one but other bloggers would ever get it. Especially the blog clique thing. I’m always thinking, “I want to be in a clique” “Why aren’t I in a clique?” “Maybe I should make my own clique”

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Hahah cliques are silly. Don’t worry it

ValiantlyVarnished

Haha – yes they are very high school. And yet I still think it. I admit I’ve gotten better about not caring so much.

Erin

Yup- pretty sure you summed up the blog world pretty darn accurately! It was super weird to tell non bloggy IRL friends that I was meeting blog friends IRL. Ha, confusing right?! I used to call Jared just J on the blog, but that got old real fast haha

I love this – I think you hit everything possible. I feel like there are some trends that are popular only because the blogging world exists (and it’s usually stuff that I totally miss the boat on.)

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

This is so true! Exhibit A: Chevron.

Not my favorite. lol

Katie @ A Beautiful Little Adv

I love this, you’ve covered the entire blogging ground and just reading that made me feel a teensy bit overwhelmed because we WILLINGLY put ourselves through it day in and day out. Love it though.

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Hahaha you’re so right! Can’t stop, won’t stop.

http://Blonderblogger.blogspot.com Valerie

I absolutely love this post!!! I feel like you just posted my life right here haha. If I could post about my dogs everyday and still have followers I would. I’ve been trying to get my friends to blog but they just don’t understand!!

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Hahah my non-blogger friends just don’t get it either! They’re always like… how much time are you actually spending on that thing? You don’t even post everyday…

If they only knew.

http://betweendreamstheblog.blogspot.com/ Allie @ Between Dreams

Oh HAY! It’s my face!

And I for one get super excited about the weekends and having more time to spend on writing/ brainstorming for my lil blog baby… maybe we should all gather ’round for a Friday night brainstorming sesh together! Haha

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

haha yes! I love Friday night blogging – I always get so much done on the weekends!

http://www.takecomfortproject.wordpress.com/ Erin O’Brien

I would add feeling the need and desire to take a camera everywhere. Maybe that’s more of a being into photography thing than blogger thing though.

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Yes! This is so true. I feel like I can’t go to a restaurant or drink a fancy drink without snapping a photo of it either…

Jessa Olson

Seriously LOVE everything on this list! These are only thing that bloggers would know or even care about!!

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Haha right?! Fun to be part of the club, is it not?

http://www.sheismoments.com/ Maureen @SheisMoments

HAHAHA hilarious! I am going to send my friends here when they look at me like I have four heads.

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

YAY!

http://www.theladyokieblog.com/ Amanda

Too funny! I often spend my Fridays blogging, and I’m like, man I’m so lame. But you can’t help when inspiration strikes. I only have 1 spot for ads on my blog, but it took me more like 11 months to get to $100! Actually, I just got there at the end of last month. Do I have to do something now, or will they just put the money in my account or what? I’m a newbie.

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Haha they’ll put it in your account! Super easy-peasy. Woot woot!

http://liivingingrace.blogspot.ca/ Grace

I totally get you! I still haven’t written an about me page because I don’t think anyone will really read it…and hey I always think of entire posts in my head and then I find myself wondering if I’ll ever actually write it out. It’s like, my brain is wondering about blogging all the time, and actually writing it out is such a small part of the blogging life! The thinking about potential posts is an everyday constant I love it

Erika, you hit pretty much everything on the head here! And I have to say that I love reading blogging about blogging posts because it’s such a niche hobby so it’s fun to see that other real, normal people love it as much as I do. It also goes without saying that you are a lovely, lovely blog to sponsor–and I get to pretend that we have weekly coffee dates

Mandie

Yea, you got us bloggers down pat! There are a lot of those things on that list that are me as well. A fun read! Thanks!

Saw this in your April wrap up. I love it! Especially about your statistics on comments, so accurate! My mom signed up to receive emails when I update, so instead of commenting she always replies “Good one honey” to the emails. Oh family members. I did zero research when I decided to start a blog. I heard about “Weebly” on a podcast or something, and just thought, “Sure, I’ll go with that.” It’s worked out well, but lately all I can think about is totally revamping the site, and I’ve heard WordPress is the way to go.

http://www.herbearings.com Al

Oh, and about the cliques.. I’m starting to finally use Twitter (I know, welcome to 2007)… and whoa! Clique city! I had no idea.

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika | All Things E

Oh hahaha yes. Twitter is where the cliques form for sure. Also where I’ve found the best connections come about! I love Twitter.

I just saw this on Pinterest and agree with 100% of it. Setting up Google Analytics was a bit of a headache (did it an hour ago), but I am excited to see how useful it is. Also, I agree with commenting; I used to skip commenting on posts I found from Pinterest, but now that I have my own blog and know that people skim, but don’t comment [kind of gets annoying], I try to comment

http://allthingseblog.com/ Erika

Ah thanks Liz! I so appreciate the comment – you’re totally right about the Pinterest skimming. What is your blog? I’d love to check it out!

http://www.awdesigned.com/ Ajah Wallace

I couldn’t stop myself from giggling over this post and sharing it with my sister who’s a blogger also. We agreed so with this post! Thank you for writing it.

Hi, I'm Erika. This is where I chronicle my quest for a simpler, more intentional life while blabbing about books, boys, beverages and balance, among other things. Read more.

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The content of this website belong to Erika Sevigny unless otherwise noted. If you find that I have incorrectly sourced something, please send me an email & I'll fix it right away. All Things E is a for-profit blog. Links may generate commissions for me, but all opinions are my own.